Panel assembly, refrigerator, and home appliances

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a panel assembly, a refrigerator, and home appliances. The panel assembly of the present invention comprises: a first panel formed of a glass material; a second panel spaced apart from the first panel and formed of a glass material; a plurality of spacers provided between the first panel and the second panel so as to maintain a gap between the first panel and the second panel, and arranged to be spaced apart from each other; a sealing member disposed between the first panel and the second panel for sealing a space between the first panel and the second panel; an exhaust hole provided in at least one of the first panel and the second panel so as to discharge air such that the space between the first panel and the second panel becomes a vacuum insulation space; and a cover member covering the exhaust hole.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a National Stage application under 35 U.S.C. § 371of International Application No. PCT/KR2019/014417, filed on Oct. 30,2019, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.62/757,721, filed on Nov. 8, 2018. The disclosures of the priorapplications are incorporated by reference in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present specification relates to a panel assembly, a refrigeratorincluding the same, and home appliances.

BACKGROUND ART

In general, refrigerators are home appliances for storing food at a lowtemperature in a storage space that is covered by a door.

For this, refrigerators cool the inside of the storage space by usingcool air generated by being heat-exchanged with a refrigerant circulatedthrough a refrigeration cycle to store foods in an optimum state.

Such a refrigerator is becoming larger and multifunctioned as dietarychanges and user's preferences become more diverse, and thus, arefrigerator having various structures and convenience devices foruser's convenience and freshness of stored foods has been introduced.

The storage space of the refrigerator may be opened/closed by the door.The refrigerators may be classified into various types according to anarranged configuration of the storage space and a structure of the doorthat opens and closes the storage space.

A separate accommodation space accessible from the outside may beprovided in the door of the refrigerator. The accommodation space may beaccessed by opening a partial auxiliary door or a home bar door withoutopening the entire refrigerator door through the above-describedaccommodation space.

Thus, frequently used foods may be stored in the separate accommodationspace provided in the refrigerator door. Since the entire refrigeratordoor is not opened for accommodating food, there is an advantage ofminimizing leakage of cold air inside the refrigerator.

However, even in such a structure, there is a problem in that the foodis not checked unless the refrigerator door is opened. That is, the doorshould be opened to identify whether desired food is received in a spacein the refrigerator or in a separate storage space provided in the door.If there is no desired food when opening the auxiliary door or the homebar, there is inconvenience to open the main door again. Here, there isa problem that unnecessary leakage of cold air occurs.

As a document for solving this problem, there is Korean PatentPublication No. 10-2016-0045545.

In the prior art document, disclosed is a refrigerator including: acabinet in which a storage space is provided; a lighting device thatilluminates the inside of the storage space; a door rotatably providedon the cabinet to open and close the storage space, defining an opening,and including a panel assembly having a front panel disposed on a frontsurface; and a controller allowing the lighting device to operate sothat light is transmitted through the panel assembly so as to allow thestorage space to be viewed from the outside of the door through theopening.

The front panel is made of a transparent material, and an insulationpanel is disposed on a rear surface of the front panel.

According to the prior art document, when the lighting device is turnedon, the light irradiated by the lighting device passes through the frontpanel made of the transparent material, and thus, a user may see thestorage space through the front panel.

In the case of the prior art document, a vacuum space is defined betweenthe front panel and the insulation panel, and a spacer is arrangedbetween the front panel and the insulation panel.

In the case of the prior art document, a technique in which the spacersupports the insulation panel to prevent a central portion of theinsulation panel from being bent is disclosed, but a technique ofmaintaining a constant gap across the front panel and the insulationpanel by the spacer is not disclosed.

Also, in the case of the prior art document, when the lighting device isturned on, the light irradiated by the lighting device passes throughthe insulation panel and the front panel in sequence. However, since thespacer is disposed between the insulation panel and the front panel,there is a problem that the spacer between the insulation panel and thefront panel is visible from the outside, and also, the prior artdocument does not disclose a technique for solving this problem.

Also, in the case of the prior art document, a hole for defining thevacuum space between the front panel and the insulation panel and astopper for blocking the hole are disclosed. However, while the lightirradiated by the lighting device sequentially passes through theinsulation panel and the front panel, there is a concern that the holeand the stopper are exposed to the outside, and also, the prior artdocument does not disclose a technique for solving this problem.

Also, when a size of the spacer increases, possibility in which the gapbetween the front panel and the insulation panel is uniformly maintainedis high. On the other hand, an area through which the light passesthrough the front panel is reduced by the spacer to reduce visibility.

According to the prior art document as described above, a technique forimproving the visibility is not disclosed even if the gap between thefront panel and the insulation panel is uniformly maintained.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION Technical Problem

The embodiments provide a panel assembly, which is capable of beingreduced in thickness while maintaining and improving thermal insulationperformance and in which a gap between two panels adjacent to each otheris uniformly maintained, a refrigerator, and home appliances.

The embodiments provide a refrigerator including a panel assembly, inwhich visibility of an inner space from the outside is improved bytransmission of light while uniformly maintaining a gap between twopanels, and home appliances.

Technical Solution

A panel assembly according to one aspect includes: a first panel made ofa glass material; a second panel spaced apart from the first panel andmade of a glass material; a plurality of spacers provided between thefirst panel and the second panel so as to maintain a gap between thefirst panel and the second panel; a sealing member disposed between thefirst panel and the second panel for sealing a space between the firstpanel and the second panel; an exhaust hole provided in at least one ofthe first panel and the second panel so as to discharge air so that thespace between the first panel and the second panel becomes a vacuuminsulation space; and a cover member covering the exhaust hole.

The plurality of spacers may be spaced apart from each other in a firstdirection and a second direction crossing the first direction. Theplurality of spacers may be disposed to be spaced apart from each otherat a predetermined pitch in the first direction and the seconddirection.

The first panel may include a first area through which light istransmitted and a second area disposed outside the first area torestrict light transmission. A printed layer may be provided on asurface of the first panel facing the second panel, and the first areaand the second area may be divided by the printed layer. The second areamay be disposed to surround the first area.

The exhaust hole and the sealing member may be disposed to correspond tothe second area. The exhaust hole and the sealing member may be disposedto face the second area. The first panel may have a size greater thanthat of the second panel.

The exhaust hole may be provided in the second panel. A getter forabsorbing moisture may be provided in the exhaust hole. Alternatively, agetter for absorbing moisture may be provided at a position adjacent tothe exhaust hole in the second panel.

The panel assembly may further include a third panel disposed at a sideopposite to the second panel with respect to the first panel. The thirdpanel may have a size greater than that of each of the first panel andthe second panel.

The third panel may include a first area through which light istransmitted and a second area disposed outside the first area torestrict light transmission. The exhaust hole and the sealing member maybe disposed to correspond to the second area.

An additional spacer may be provided between the third panel and thefirst panel. The additional spacer may be aligned with the spacerbetween the first panel and the second panel. The additional spacer maybe disposed to face the spacer between the first panel and the secondpanel.

A gap between the third panel and the first panel may be less than athickness of the first panel or a thickness of the third panel.

A contact area between the plurality of spacers and the first panel or acontact area between the plurality of spacers and the second panel maycorrespond to 0.01% to 0.05% of an area of the first panel or the secondpanel.

The sealing member may include a first portion disposed between thefirst panel and the second panel and a second portion disposed outsidethe first portion and having a thickness greater than that of the firstportion. The sealing member may further include a third portion disposedoutside the second portion to contact a side surface of the secondpanel.

A refrigerator according to another aspect includes: a cabinet providedwith a storage space; and a door configured to open and close thestorage space, the door being provided with a panel assembly.

The door may include a frame having an opening, and the panel assemblymay be disposed to cover the opening.

The panel assembly may include: a first panel made of a glass material;a second panel spaced apart from the first panel, the second panel beingmade of a glass material; and a plurality of spacers disposed betweenthe first panel and the second panel to maintain a gap between the firstpanel and the second panel, the plurality of spacers being disposed tobe spaced apart from each other in a first direction and a seconddirection crossing the first direction.

The panel assembly may include: a sealing member disposed between thefirst panel and the second panel to seal a space between the first paneland the second panel; an exhaust hole provided in at least one of thefirst panel or the second panel to exhaust air so that the space betweenthe first panel and the second panel serves as a vacuum insulationspace; and a cover member configured to cover the exhaust hole. Aninsulation material may be provided in the frame and in contact with thesecond panel.

The first panel may include a first area through which light istransmitted and a second area disposed outside the first area torestrict light transmission. The exhaust hole and the sealing member maybe disposed to correspond to the second area. At least a portion of theinsulation material may be disposed to face the second area.

The refrigerator may further include a knock sensing device configuredto contact the first panel and sense a knock input applied to the firstpanel.

The panel assembly may further include a third panel disposed at a sideopposite to the second panel with respect to the first panel, whereinthe third panel has a size greater than that of each of the first paneland the second panel.

The refrigerator may further include a knock sensing device configuredto contact the third panel and sense a knock input applied to the thirdpanel.

The refrigerator may further include a lighting unit provided in thedoor and configured to irradiate light. When a normal knock input issensed by the knock sensing device, the lighting unit may be turned onwhile the door is closed to irradiate the light. The light may passthrough the panel assembly.

A contact area between the plurality of spacers and the first panel or acontact area between the plurality of spacers and the second panel maycorrespond to 0.01% to 0.05% of an area of the first panel or the secondpanel.

The sealing member may include a first portion disposed between thefirst panel and the second panel and a second portion disposed outsidethe first portion and having a thickness greater than that of the firstportion. The sealing member may further include a third portion disposedoutside the second portion to contact a side surface of the secondpanel.

A home appliance according to further another aspect includes: a cabinetprovided with an inner space; and a door configured to open and closethe inner space, the door being provided with a panel assembly,

The door may include a frame having an opening, and the panel assemblymay be disposed to cover the opening.

Advantageous Effects

According to the proposed invention, there may be the advantage in thatthe thickness of the panel assembly is reduced while the insulationperformance is maintained or increases.

Also, there may be the advantage in that the gap between the twoadjacent panels is uniformly maintained during the assembly process orthe use process of the panel assembly, and the possibility of damage dueto the external force may be reduced.

Also, according to the present invention, the visibility of the innerspace from the outside may be improved by light transmission while thegap between the two panels is uniformly maintained.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a panel assembly according to a firstembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cutaway cross-sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a view illustrating a position of a getter in FIG. 2 accordingto another embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a view illustrating a printed layer of a first panel accordingto the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a portion B of FIG. 2 .

FIG. 6 is a view illustrating an arrangement of a spacer on a secondpanel according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a view illustrating another example of the arrangement of thespacer according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a view illustrating various shapes of the spacer.

FIG. 9 is a view of a door to which a panel assembly is appliedaccording to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an explode perspective view of FIG. 9 .

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 9 .

FIG. 12 is a view illustrating another example of FIG. 9 .

FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken along line B-B of FIG. 9 .

FIG. 14 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which an injectionhole is defined in the door according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of a panel assembly according to asecond embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a view of a door to which the panel assembly is appliedaccording to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a cutaway cross-sectional view taken along line C-C of FIG.16 .

FIG. 18 is a cutaway cross-sectional view taken along line D-D of FIG.17 .

FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view of a panel assembly according to athird embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view of a panel assembly according to afourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 21 is a view illustrating another example of FIG. 20 .

FIG. 22 is a view of a door to which the panel assembly is applied to arefrigerator according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 23 is a view of a state in which a door lighting unit is turned onin the refrigerator of FIG. 22 .

FIG. 24 is a block diagram of the refrigerator of FIG. 22 .

FIG. 25 is an exploded perspective view of a knock sensing deviceaccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 26 is a cross-sectional view of a microphone module according to anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 27 is a view illustrating a state in which the microphone module isin contact with a panel assembly according to an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 28 is a view of a state in which the microphone module is incontact with the panel assembly of FIG. 20 .

FIG. 29 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which a doorlighting unit is installed on a door according to an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 30 is a view illustrating another example in which the panelassembly is applied to the refrigerator according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 31 is a cutaway cross-sectional view taken along line E-E of FIG.30 .

FIG. 32 is a sectional view taken along line F-F of FIG. 30 .

FIG. 33 is an enlarged view of a portion B of FIG. 32 .

FIG. 34 is a view illustrating another example in which the panelassembly is applied to the refrigerator according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 35 is a view illustrating a state in which the panel assembly isapplied to a cloth processor that is an example of a home appliance.

MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present invention will be describedin detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Exemplaryembodiments of the present invention will be described below in moredetail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is noted that thesame or similar components in the drawings are designated by the samereference numerals as far as possible even if they are shown indifferent drawings. In the following description of the presentinvention, a detailed description of known functions and configurationsincorporated herein will be omitted to avoid making the subject matterof the present invention unclear.

In the description of the elements of the present invention, the termsfirst, second, A, B, (a), and (b) may be used. Each of the terms ismerely used to distinguish the corresponding component from othercomponents, and does not delimit an essence, an order or a sequence ofthe corresponding component. It should be understood that when onecomponent is “connected”, “coupled” or “joined” to another component,the former may be directly connected or jointed to the latter or may be“connected”, coupled” or “joined” to the latter with a third componentinterposed therebetween.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a panel assembly according to a firstembodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a cutawaycross-sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 3 is a view illustrating a position of a getter in FIG. 2 accordingto another embodiment. FIG. 4 is a view illustrating a printed layer ofa first panel according to the first embodiment of the presentinvention.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4 , a panel assembly 10 according to a firstembodiment of the present invention includes a first panel 11 and asecond panel 13 disposed to be spaced apart from the first panel 11.

The first panel 11 may be made of a glass material. The first panel 11may be tinted glass.

The first panel 11 may have a thickness of about 3 mm to about 6 mm. Thefirst panel 11 may be reduced in thickness to reduce a total thicknessof the panel assembly 10, thereby improving transmittance of light. Thelight transmittance may be related to visibility to be described later,and if the light transmittance is improved, the visibility may beimproved.

If assuming a state in which the panel assembly 10 is used in a homeappliance (see FIG. 20 ), when the first panel 11 is made of tintedglass, if a lighting unit to be described later is turned on, light maypass through the first panel 11 to see an inner space of the homeappliance. On the other hand, if the light unit is turned off, theseeing of the inner space of the home appliance may be restricted by thefirst panel 11.

The first panel 11 may include a first surface 110 a and a secondsurface 110 b that is an opposite surface to the first surface 110 b.

When the panel assembly 10 is used in the home appliance, the panelassembly 10 may be fixed so that the first surface 110 a defines anouter appearance of the home appliance.

The second panel 13 may be made of a glass material. A thickness of thesecond panel 13 may be the same as or different from a thickness of thefirst panel 11. The thickness of the second panel 13 may be about 3 mmto about 6 mm.

The second panel 13 may be reduced in thickness to reduce the totalthickness of the panel assembly 10, thereby improving the lighttransmittance.

The second panel 13 may include a first surface 131 facing the secondsurface 110 b of the first panel 11 and a second surface 131 b that isan opposite surface of the first surface 131 a.

A low-emission coating layer 14 for reducing heat transfer due toradiation may be provided on the first surface 131 a. Glass providedwith the low-emission coating layer 14 may be referred to as low-εglass.

In this embodiment, when the low-emission coating layer 14 is formed onthe first surface 131 a of the second panel 13, the low-emission coatinglayer 14 may be prevented from being damaged while the panel assembly 10is manufactured or used after the manufacturing.

As the low-emission coating layer 14 is formed on the second panel 13,the thickness of the second panel 13 may be reduced to improveperformance of the insulation glass.

The second panel 13 may be hard low-ε glass or soft low-ε.

The hard low-ε glass may be manufactured by spraying metal oxide (SnO₂)as a thermal coating material onto the glass surface and then performinga heat treatment process. The soft low-ε glass may be drafted by placingplate glass in a vacuum chamber and applying metals such as silver,titanium, and stainless steel in the form of multilayer thin filmcoating.

Alternatively, the second panel 13 may be transparent electricallyconductive (TEC) glass formed by applying fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO)under an atmospheric pressure while using the same method as the hardlow-ε glass.

A size of the first panel 11 may be larger than a size of the secondpanel 13. For example, a horizontal length L1 of the first panel 11 maybe longer than a horizontal length L2 of the second panel 13.

A vertical length L3 of the first panel 11 may be longer than a verticallength L4 of the second panel 13.

In the panel assembly 10, positions of the first panel 11 and the secondpanel 13 may be determined so that a side surface of the second panel 13and a side surface of the first panel 11 are spaced apart from eachother.

Thus, the first panel 11 and the second panel 13 may be arranged in astepped shape.

For example, a gap between the side surface of the first panel 11 andthe side surface of the second panel 13 may be G1.

A screen-printed layer 112 a may be provided on the second surface 110 bof the first panel 11. The printed layer 112 a may be disposed along acircumference of the second surface 110 b of the first panel 11.

The printed layer 112 a may restrict or block the light transmission.The first panel 11 may include a first area 111 through which light istransmitted and a second area 112 disposed outside the first area 112 torestrict the light transmission by the printed layer 112 a. The secondarea 112 may be disposed outside the first area 111 and may be disposedto surround the first area 111.

The second area 112 may transmit the light, but may have a lighttransmittance less than that of the first area 111 or may completelyblock the light.

The horizontal length of the first area 111 may be referred to as D1,and the vertical length may be referred to as D2. The horizontal lengthD1 and the vertical length D2 of the first area 111 may be the same ordifferent from each other according to a kind of home appliances towhich the panel assembly 10 is applied.

In FIG. 4 , for example, the vertical length D2 are greater than thehorizontal length D1 of the first area 111.

A distance D3 from an end of the first panel 11 to a boundary betweenthe first area 111 and the second area 112 may be greater than a gap G1between an edge end of the first panel 11 and an edge end of the secondpanel 13.

Thus, the printed layer 112 a may face an edge portion of the secondpanel 13 as illustrated in FIG. 2 .

The distance D3 from the end of the first panel 11 to the boundarybetween the first area 111 and the second area 112 may vary depending onthe type of home appliances to which the panel assembly 10 is applied.

Also, the distance D3 from the end of the first panel 11 to the boundarybetween the first area 111 and the second area 112 may be the same ordifferent from each other in a circumferential direction of the firstpanel 11.

The low-emission coating layer 14 may be provided on the entire firstarea 111 of the first panel 11 and may be provided on a portion of thesecond area 112 or the entire second area 112.

Since a portion of the second area 112 is in contact with a sealingmember to be described later, the low-emission coating layer 14 may notbe present. For example, the low-emission coating layer 14 may be formedfrom an outer end of the second area 112 to a position spaced apart by apredetermined distance.

The first panel 11 and the second panel 13 may be spaced apart from eachother by a spacer 16.

For example, the first panel 11 and the second panel 13 may be entirelyspaced a predetermined interval from each other by a plurality ofspacers 16 that are spaced apart from each other.

The spacer 16 may be, for example, any one of stainless steel, glass,and ceramic.

In this embodiment, when the panel assembly 10 is disposed to allow thelight to be transmitted therethrough so that the inner space of the homeappliance is seen, the spacer 16 may be preferably made of stainlesssteel.

When the spacer 16 is made of a stainless steel material, it may haveexcellent workability and less light reflection to minimize exposure ofthe spacer 16, as well as improve visibility of the inner space of thehome appliance by the panel assembly 10.

On the other hand, when the spacer 16 is made of a glass material, thespacer 16 may appear white or a similar color due to diffuse reflectionof light. Therefore, it is preferable that the spacer 16 is made of astainless material in terms of the non-exposure of the spacer 16 and thevisibility of the inner space of the home appliance.

A space between the first panel 11 and the second panel 13 may be avacuum insulation space. An exhaust hole 132 may be defined in thesecond panel 13 so that the space between the first panel 11 and thesecond panel 13 becomes a vacuum insulation space.

Since air is exhausted through the exhaust hole 132, the space betweenthe first panel 11 and the second panel 13 may become the vacuuminsulation space.

A gap between the first panel 11 and the second panel 13 may be designedin a range of 0.1 mm to 1 mm.

When the distance between the first panel 11 and the second panel 13 isgreater than 1 mm, the spacer 16 for maintaining the distance betweenthe first panel 11 and the second panel 13 may increase in thickness.

Since the spacer 16 is capable of transferring heat, when the thicknessof the spacer 16 increases, the heat transfer amount by the spacer 16 inthe panel assembly 10 increases to deteriorate thermal insulationperformance. In addition, as the size of the spacer 16 increases, thearea of the panel assembly 10, through which the light is transmittedmay be relatively reduced to deteriorate the visibility.

On the other hand, when a gap between the first panel 11 and the secondpanel 13 is less than 0.1 mm, a problem in which the first panel 11 andthe second panel 13 are in contact with each other due to deformation ofthe first panel 11 or the second panel 13 while the air is exhaustedthrough the exhaust hole 132 may occur.

However, according to this embodiment, if the distance between the firstpanel 11 and the second panel 13 is designed to be in the range of 0.1mm to 1 mm, the gap between the first panel 11 and the second panel 13may be maintained while preventing the thermal insulation performanceand the visibility from being deteriorated.

Preferably, the gap between the first panel 11 and the second panel 13may be designed in a range of 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm.

The exhaust hole 132 may be defined in a position spaced a predetermineddistance inward from the edge end of the second panel 13. However, inorder not to expose the exhaust hole 132 to the outside, the exhausthole 132 may be disposed at a position corresponding to the second area112 of the first panel 11. The exhaust hole 132 may be disposed to facethe printed layer 112 a of the first panel 11.

A getter 17 for absorbing moisture in the vacuum insulation space may bedisposed in the exhaust hole 132. The getter 17 may be an evaporationtype getter or a non-evaporation type getter. It is preferable to usethe non-evaporation type getter in views of vacuum maintenanceperformance and simplification of the process.

The non-evaporation type getter may be a zirconium (Zr) alloy. Forexample, the getter 17 according to this embodiment may includezirconium (Zr), vanadium (V), iron (Fe), or the like. This getter 17 mayadsorb hydrogen, water, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, andthe like.

When air and moisture do not exist in the vacuum insulation space,thermal convection does not occur. A degree of vacuum in the vacuuminsulation space may be 10⁻³ Torr or less.

The exhaust hole 132 may be covered by a cover member 18. The covermember 18 may be, for example, frit glass.

Alternatively, the getter 18 may be supported by a supporter (notshown), and at least a portion of the supporter may pass through theexhaust hole 132 and be disposed in the vacuum insulation space. Thatis, the getter 18 may be disposed in the vacuum insulation space. Evenin this case, the cover member 18 may cover the supporter and a portionof the second surface 131 b of the second panel 13.

As another example, referring to FIG. 3 , the second panel 13 mayinclude an accommodation groove 131 d in which the getter 17 isaccommodated. The accommodation groove 131 d may be disposed around theexhaust hole 132. For example, the accommodation groove 131 d may beformed by being recessed from the first surface 131 a of the secondpanel 13 toward the second surface 131 b.

The accommodation groove 131 d may be disposed at a positioncorresponding to the second area 112 of the first panel 11 so that thegetter 17 accommodated in the accommodation groove 131 d is preventedfrom being exposed to the outside. That is, the accommodation groove 131d may be disposed so as to face the printed layer 112 a of the firstpanel 11.

The panel assembly 10 may further include a sealing member 15 disposedbetween the edges of the first panel 11 and the second panel 13 to seala space between the first panel 11 and the second panel 13.

The sealing member 15 may be, for example, frit glass. That is, thesealing member 15 may be a glass sealant.

The sealing member 15 may be made of a material capable of being firedat a temperature of approximately 400° C. or less to prevent performanceof the first panel 11 and the second panel 13 from being deterioratedduring a firing process.

As an example, the sealing member 15 may be a lead-free glasscomposition and may include phosphorus pentoxide (P₂O₅), vanadiumtrioxide (V₂O₃), and tellurium.

Although not limited, the sealing member 15 may include 5% to 25% byweight of P2O5, 40% to 70% by weight of V2O5, 5% to 25% by weight ofTeO2, 1% to 5% by weight of copper oxide (CuO), and 1% to 12% by weightof zinc oxide (ZnO), and 1% to 5% by weight of barium oxide (BaO). Thesealing member 15 may be fired at a relatively low temperature by thecomposition of the sealing member 15.

Also, the content of P₂O₅, V₂O₅, and TeO₂ in the sealing member 15 maysatisfy the following relational expression so as to not only be firedat a low temperature, but also be lowered in crystallization tendencyduring the firing at a low temperature.V₂O₅(wt %)/P₂O₅(wt %)<3.5P₂O₅(wt %)+TeO₂(wt %)>30

Also, in order to provide the sealing member 15 having excellentdurability without including an inorganic filler or minimizing a contentof the inorganic filler and also matching a coefficient of thermalexpansion with the glass substrate so as to prevent peeling or breakagefrom occurring, the sealing member 15 may further include one or more ofbismuth oxide (Bi₂O₃), manganese dioxide (MnO₂), iron oxide (Fe₂O₃), andsilver oxide (Ag₂O).

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a portion B of FIG. 2 .

Referring to FIG. 5 , a portion of the sealing member 15 may be disposedbetween the first panel 11 and the second panel 13, and the otherportion of the sealing member 15 may be in contact with a side surface131 e of the second panel 13 outside the second panel 13.

That is, the sealing member 15 includes a first portion 151 disposedbetween the first panel 11 and the first panel 13 and a second portion152 disposed outside the second panel 13. Thus, a thickness of thesecond portion 152 (a thickness in an arrangement direction of the firstpanel 11 and the second panel 13) may be greater than a thickness of thefirst portion 151.

As described in this embodiment, when the sealing member 15 is incontact with the side surface 131 e of the second panel 13 outside ofthe second panel 13, a contact area between the sealing member 15 andthe second panel 13 and a contact area between the sealing member 15 andthe first panel 13 may increase to increase in close contact strength bythe sealing member 15, thereby improving sealability.

Also, as the contact area between the sealing member 15 and the secondpanel 13 and the contact area between the sealing member 15 and thefirst panel 11 increase, an impact absorption of the sealing member 15against an impact applied to the panel assembly 10 may increase.

An edge portion of the first surface 131 a of the second panel 13 may beinclined. That is, the first surface 131 a of the second panel 13 mayinclude an inclined surface 131 c.

The inclined surface 131 c may be inclined to move away from the secondsurface 110 b of the first panel 11 toward the outside.

A portion of the first surface 131 a of the second panel 13 is parallelto the second surface 110 b of the first panel 11, and the other portion(inclined surface 131 c) of the first surface 131 a of the second panel13 is not parallel to the second surface 110 b of the first panel 11.

Thus, the sealing member 15 may further include a third portion 153 thatconnects the first portion 151 to the second portion 152 and is incontact with the inclined surface 131 c.

A thickness of the third portion 153 is greater than that of the firstportion 151. Due to the presence of the third portion 153 by theinclined surface 131 c, the contact area between the sealing member 15and the second panel 13 may further increase.

A width W (length from the first portion to the third portion) of thesealing member 15 may be set within a range of 3 mm to 15 mm.

Since heat is conducted by the sealing member 15, when the width W ofthe sealing member 15 is greater than 15 mm in terms of heat conduction,a problem of deteriorating the thermal insulation performance occurs. Onthe other hand, when the width W of the sealing member 15 is less than 3mm, there is a concern that the sealing performance of the vacuuminsulation space is deteriorated.

Thus, as in this embodiment, when the width W of the sealing member 15is set within the range of 3 mm to 15 mm, the sealing of the vacuuminsulation space may be secured, and the thermal insulation performancemay be prevented from being deteriorated.

Each of corners of the first panel 11 and the second panel 13 may berounded at a predetermined curvature.

In a state in which the sealing member 15 is inserted between the firstpanel 11 and the second panel 13, the first panel 11 and the secondpanel 13 may be pressed in a direction in which the first panel 11 andthe second panel are close to each other to increase in coupling forcebetween the sealing member 15 and the panels 11 and 13.

If there is no inclined surface on the second panel 13, the sealingmember 15 may move into the vacuum insulation space while the firstpanel 11 and the second panel 13 are pressed in the direction in whichthe first panel 11 and the second panel 13 are close to each other. Inthis case, there is a problem that the sealing member 15 is in contactwith the spacer 16 or is spread to the first area 111. In this case, thefirst area 111 is reduced by the sealing member 15 to reduce thevisibility.

However, as in the present invention, when the second panel 13 includesthe inclined surface 131 c, while the first panel 11 and the secondpanel 13 are pressed in the direction in which the first panel 11 andthe second panel are close to each other, since the sealing member 15moves to the portion at which the inclined surface 131 c is formed, themovement of the vacuum insulation space may be minimized.

FIG. 6 is a view illustrating an arrangement of the spacer on the secondpanel according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 6 , the spacers 16 may be spaced apart fromeach other in a first direction and may be spaced apart from each otherin a second direction crossing the first direction.

For example, the plurality of spacers 16 may be arranged to be spacedapart in the vertical and horizontal directions.

The plurality of spacers 16 may be arranged to have a constant pitch Pin the horizontal direction and may be arranged to have a constant pitchP in the vertical direction.

According to this arrangement, not only the plurality of spacers 16 maybe arranged in the vertical line direction, but the plurality of spacers16 may be arranged in the horizontal direction. The arrangement of thespacers in FIG. 6 may be referred to as an orthogonal arrangement.

However, in the manufacturing process, while the plurality of spacers 16are orthogonally arranged on the first panel 11 by a separate mechanism(not shown), the second panel 13 is seated on the plurality of spacers16.

Referring to FIG. 6 , in the second panel 13, the sealing member 15 maybe disposed in an area 135 between a dotted line and an edge of thesecond panel 13. The area 135 may also be referred to as a sealingmember contact area. The contact area is disposed to surround theplurality of spacers 16. In another aspect, the plurality of spacers 16are disposed in an area inside the contact area, and the plurality ofspacers 16 are spaced apart from the sealing member 15.

FIG. 7 is a view illustrating another example of the arrangement of thespacer according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7 , the plurality of spacers 16 may be disposed to bespaced apart in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction.

For example, the plurality of spacers 163 in a first row may be disposedto be spaced a predetermined pitch P from each other in the horizontaldirection.

The plurality of spacers 164 in a second row disposed below the firstrow may be disposed to be spaced a predetermined pitch P from each otherin the horizontal direction. However, the plurality of spacers 163 inthe first row and the plurality of spacers 164 in the second row may bedisposed to be spaced a predetermined pitch P from each other withoutoverlapping each other in the vertical direction.

In other words, the spacers 164 in the second row may be disposed on anarea corresponding to the area between the two adjacent spacers 163 inthe first row. The arrangement of the spacers in FIG. 7 may be referredto as a diamond arrangement.

FIG. 8 is a view illustrating various shapes of the spacer.

(a) of FIG. 8 illustrates one form of the spacer, and (b) of FIG. 8illustrates another form of the spacer.

Referring to (a) of FIG. 8 , the spacer 16 may have a cylindrical shapeor a shape similar to a cylinder.

Referring to (b) of FIG. 8 , the spacer 16 a may have a tube shape. Thatis, the spacer 16 a may include an outer circumferential surface 161 andan inner circumferential surface 162. A diameter OD of the outerperipheral surface 161 may be the same as or similar to a diameter ofthe cylindrical spacer. A diameter ID of the inner peripheral surface162 may be less than the diameter of the cylindrical spacer.

In another aspect, the spacer 16 a may have a cylindrical shape having ahollow.

Although FIG. 8 illustrates that each of the spacers 16 and 16 a has asmooth surface, this is merely an example. For example, it may bepossible to form an unevenness on the surface of each of the spacers 16and 16 a, and the spacers 16 and 16 a may have a polygonal pillar shape.

A maximum distance between the diameter of each of the spacers 16 and 16a or the outer circumferential surface and a line connecting two pointsto each other may be set within a range of 200 microns to 900 microns.

A contact area between one spacer 16 or 16 a and the second panel 13 maybe different depending on the shape of each of the spacers 16 and 16 a.

If the spacers 16 and 16 a are concentrated into a certain area inrelation to the second panel 13, or the spacers 16 and 16 a are notarranged evenly, possibility in which the spacers 16 and 16 a areexposed to the outside may be high, and visibility of a certain area ofthe panel assembly may be significantly lowered due to the spacers 16and 16 a.

However, as in this embodiment, when the spacers 16 and 16 a arearranged at a predetermined pitch, the spacers 16 and 16 a itself may beseen from the outside while maintaining the gap between the first panel11 and the second panel 13 to improve the visibility of the panelassembly 10.

In this embodiment, the diameter of each of the plurality of spacers 16and 16 a and the gap between the spacers may be determined so that thecontact area between each of the plurality of spacers 16 and 16 a andthe second panel 13 corresponds to 0.01% to 0.05% of the area of thefirst surface 131 a in the second panel 13.

When the contact area between each of the plurality of spacers 16 and 16a and the second panel 13 is less than 0.01% of the area of the firstsurface 131 a in the second panel 13, the spacer 16 may not maintain thegap between the first panel 11 and the second panel 13 while air isremoved from the space between the first panel 11 and the second panel13. In this case, a problem occurs in that the first panel 11 and thesecond panel 13 are in contact with each other (in view of maintainingthe gap between the first panel and the second panel).

On the other hand, when the contact area between each of the pluralityof spacers 16 and 16 a and the second panel 13 is greater than 0.05% ofthe area of the first surface 131 a in the second panel 13, the spacers16 and 16 a may be exposed to the outside. That is, when light passesthrough the panel assembly 10, the spacers 16 and 16 a are visible tothe outside, and the area through which the light is transmitted by thespacer 16 relatively decreases. Thus, there is a problem that thevisibility of the inner space is deteriorated (in view of thevisibility).

Also, since the areas of the spacers 16 and 16 a increases, an amount ofthermal conductivity by the spacers 16 and 16 a may increase todeteriorate the thermal insulation performance (in view of the thermalinsulation performance of the panel assembly).

However, as in this embodiment, when the contact area between each ofthe plurality of spacers 16 and 16 a and the second panel 13 is setwithin the range of 0.01% to 0.05% of the area of the first surface 131a in the second panel 13, there may be an advantage in that thevisibility by the panel assembly 10 is improved while the gap betweenthe first panel 11 and the second panel 13 is maintained.

The pitch of each of the adjacent spacers 16 and 16 a may vary by aratio of the contact area between each of the plurality of spacers 16and the second panel 13 and the area of the first surface 131 a in thesecond panel 13, but may be determined within a range of approximately20 mm to 60 mm.

The thickness of each of the spacers 16 and 16 a is substantially thesame as the gap between the first panel 11 and the second panel 13.

The ratio between the pitch of each of the adjacent spacers 16 and 16 aand the ratio of the contact area between each of the plurality ofspacers 16 and the second panel 13 and the area of the first surface 131a of the second panel 13 may also be related to impact resistance of thefirst panel 11 and the second panel 13.

Basically, a vacuum pressure is applied to the first panel 11 and thesecond panel 13, which are in contact with the spacers 16 and 16 a. Inthis state, even if an external impact is applied to the first panel 11and the second panel 13, the first panel 11 and the second panel 13 haveto be prevented from being damaged.

As in this embodiment, when the contact area between each of theplurality of spacers 16 and 16 a and the second panel 13 increases to0.01% to 0.05% of the area of the first surface 131 a in the secondpanel 13, even if the external impact is applied to the first panel 11and the second panel 13, the damage of the first panel 11 and the secondpanel 13 may be minimized. Preferably, the contact area between each ofthe plurality of spacers 16 and 16 a and the second panel 13 may satisfya range of 0.025% to 0.03% of the area of the first surface 131 a in thesecond panel 13.

In summary, according to the spaced arrangement of the spacers 16 and 16a proposed in this embodiment, the panel assembly 10 may decrease inthickness while maintaining the thermal insulation performance by thearea ratio of the spacers 16 and 16 a and the second panel 13, and thegap between the first panel and the second panel.

Also, the visibility of the inner space of the home appliance by thepanel assembly 10 and the impact resistance to the external impacts maybe improved.

Also, since the spacers 16 and 16 a are not exposed to the outside, anaesthetic feeling of the panel assembly 10 itself may be prevented frombeing deteriorated.

FIG. 9 is a view of a door to which a panel assembly is appliedaccording to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 10is an explode perspective view of FIG. 9 . FIG. 11 is a cross-sectionalview taken along line A-A of FIG. 9 , FIG. 12 is a view illustratinganother example of FIG. 9 , and FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken alongline B-B of FIG. 9 .

FIG. 14 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which an injectionhole is defined in the door according to the first embodiment.

In FIG. 11 , it is illustrated that an insulation space is partiallyfilled with an insulation material.

Referring to FIGS. 9 to 14 , a panel assembly 10 according to thisembodiment may be used for a door 30 of a home appliance. That is, thedoor 30 may include the panel assembly 10.

The door 30 may further include a door frame 40 supporting the panelassembly 10 and a door liner 60 connected to the door frame 40. The doorframe 40 and the door liner 60 may be collectively referred to as aframe.

The door frame 40 may be made of, for example, a metal material. Thedoor frame 40 may include a first opening 41. The panel assembly 10 maycover the first opening 41.

As the door frame 40 and the panel assembly 10 are made of differentmaterials, in order to fix positions of the door frame 40 and the panelassembly 10 to each other, the door 30 may further include a bracket 50.

A portion of each of the door frame 40 and the door liner 60 may bedirectly connected, and other portion may be connected by connectionmembers 70 and 72. For example, both sides of the door frame 40 may bedirectly connected to the door liner 60, and upper and lower sides ofthe door frame 40 may be connected by connection members 70 and 72.

The door frame 40, the door liner 60, and the connection members 70 and72 may be collectively referred to as a frame assembly 90.

The door liner 60 may include a second opening 61. The panel assembly 10may cover the second opening 61.

The door liner 60 may include a bent portion 62 that is bent from theopening 61 toward the door frame 40. Alternatively, the door liner 60may include a bent portion 62 extending toward the first opening 41, andthe bent portion 62 may define the second opening 61.

The bracket 50 may be coupled to directly contact the door frame 40 andthe panel assembly 10 or may be coupled while indirectly contacting thedoor frame 40 and the panel assembly 10 by an intermediate member.

The door frame 40 may be provided as a thin plate and may include a bentportion 42 that is bent inward from the first opening 41. An innerregion of the bent portion 42 substantially becomes the first opening41.

The panel assembly 10 may be disposed at the first opening 41 to coverthe first opening 41 or may cover the first opening 41 from an outsideof the first opening 41.

A side surface of the panel assembly 10 may be in contact with the bentportion 42. For example, the side surface of the first panel 11 may bein contact with the bent portion 42.

The first panel 11 may define a portion of a front appearance of thedoor 30.

A front surface (first surface) of the first panel 11 may define thesame surface as a front surface of the door frame 40, or a line passingthrough the front surface of the first panel 11 may pass through thefront surface of the door frame 40. Alternatively, the front surface ofthe first panel 11 and the front surface of the door frame 40 may bestepped. However, in this case, in order to prevent the first panel 11from being damaged, the front surface of the first panel 11 may bedisposed behind the front surface of the door frame 40.

The bracket 50 may include a first portion 51 disposed to face the firstpanel 51, a second portion 52 disposed to face the door frame 40, and athird portion 53 connecting the first portion 51 to the second portion52.

The first portion 51 of the bracket 50 may face a rear surface (secondsurface) of the first panel 11, and the second portion 52 of the bracket50 may face a rear surface of the door frame 40.

For example, the first portion 51 of the bracket 50 may be disposed tocorrespond to the second area 112 of the first panel 11. That is, thefirst portion 51 of the bracket 50 may be disposed to face the secondarea 112 of the first panel 11.

Thus, even if the panel assembly 10 is installed on the door 30, thebracket 50 may be prevented from being exposed to the outside.

The first portion 51 of the bracket 50 may be provided with a couplingprotrusion 54, and the bent portion 42 may be provided with a protrusionslot (not shown) into which the coupling protrusion 54 is inserted.

A heater accommodation groove 502 may be defined in the first portion 51of the bracket 50. A heater 58 may be accommodated in the heateraccommodation groove 502.

The heater 58 may be fixed to the rear surface of the first panel 11 orbe fixed to the first portion 51 of the bracket 50 by an adhesive tape(for example, an aluminum tape). Alternatively, an aluminum sheet may beattached to a portion corresponding to the heater 58 on the rear surfaceof the first panel 11, and the heater 58 may be disposed to be incontact with the aluminum sheet. Even in this case, the heater 58 may befixed to the bracket 50 by an adhesive tape (for example, an aluminumtape) while being accommodated in the heater accommodation groove 502.

The heater 58 may prevent dew condensation from being generated byallowing a surface temperature of a peripheral portion of the sidesurface of the panel assembly 10 to increase. Heat of the heater 58 maybe transferred to the first panel 11 and may also be transferred to thesecond panel 13 and the sealing member 15.

In the case of this embodiment, since the panel assembly has a vacuuminsulation space, a thickness of the panel assembly may be reducedcompared to a structure in which a gas is filled between two panels.

When the panel assembly 10 according to this embodiment is applied tothe structure of the existing door 30, a gap between the panel assembly10 and the bent portion 62 of the door liner 60 may occur by a reducedthickness of the panel assembly 10.

If, without changing the structure of the existing door liner 60, thepanel assembly 10 according to this embodiment is used, as illustratedin FIG. 11 and (a) of FIG. 13 , the door 30 may further include anintermediate member 63 disposed in a spaced portion between the doorliner 60 and the panel assembly 10.

One side of the intermediate member 63 may be coupled to the door liner60, and the other side may be in contact with the panel assembly 10. Forexample, the intermediate member 63 may be in contact with the rearsurface (second surface) of the second panel 13.

The intermediate member 63 may further include a contact portion 64 toincrease in contact area between the intermediate member 63 and thesecond panel 13.

Referring to FIG. 12 and (b) of FIG. 13 , as another example of the doorliner 60, the intermediate member may not exist as a separate member 63,and the bent portion 62 of the door liner 60 may extend toward thesecond panel 13, and the contact portion 64 may extend from the secondpanel 13.

In either case, the door frame 40, the door liner 60, the bracket 50,and the panel assembly 10 may define an insulation space P in which aninsulation material 80 is filled. That is, the frame assembly 90 and thepanel assembly 10 may define an insulation space P.

Referring to FIG. 13 , the frame assembly 90 may be provided with aplurality of injection holes for injecting a foaming solution forforming the insulation material 80.

For example, the plurality of injection holes may be defined to bespaced apart from a top surface 91 or a bottom surface of the frameassembly 90. For example, FIG. 13 illustrates that a first injectionhole 92 and a second injection hole 93 are defined in the top surface 91of the frame assembly 90.

The first injection hole 92 and the second injection hole 93 may bedisposed to face the insulation space P. The first injection hole 92 mayface a space defined at one side of the panel assembly 10 in theinsulation space P, and the second injection hole 93 may face a spacedefined at the other side of the panel assembly in the insulation spaceP. The foaming solution injected through the two injection holes 92 and93 may not only flow in a horizontal direction in the insulation spaceP, but also flow in a downward direction so as to be filled into theinsulation space P as a whole.

The contact portion 64 of the door liner 60 may be in contact with aposition spaced a predetermined distance from an edge end of the secondpanel 13.

The insulation material 80 may be in contact with the door frame 40, thedoor liner 60, and the bracket 50. Also, the insulation material 80 maybe in contact with a rear surface (second surface) of the second panel13.

A portion of the insulation material 80 may be in contact with thecontact portion 64 to press the contact portion 64 toward the secondpanel 13. Thus, the insulation material 80 between the contact portion64 and the second panel 13 may be prevented from leaking.

Since the panel assembly 10 itself includes the vacuum insulation space,the thermal insulation performance may be maintained by the vacuuminsulation space. On the other hand, since the outer surface of thepanel assembly 10, in particular, the sealing member 15 is capable ofconducting heat, there is a need to prevent the thermal insulationperformance due to the heat conduction.

In order to prevent deterioration in thermal insulation performance dueto the heat conduction of the panel assembly 10, the insulation material80 may be in contact with the rear surface (second surface) of thesecond panel 13. Also, the insulation material 80 may be in contact witha side surface of the second panel 13 and a portion of the sealingmember 15.

The insulation material 80 may be disposed to overlap the second panel13 in a front and rear direction (which may be defined as an arrangeddirection of the panels). In order to secure the thermal insulationperformance, the vertical or horizontal length (overlapping length) D4of the portion of the second panel 13 overlapping the insulationmaterial 80 in the front and rear direction may be set within a range of20 mm to 50 mm.

When the overlapping length of the insulation material 80 and the secondpanel 13 is less than 20 mm, a heat conduction blocking effect by theinsulation material 80 is low, and thus, there is a concern that dew isgenerated on the surface of the panel assembly 10.

On the other hand, when the overlapping length of the insulationmaterial 80 and the second panel 13 is greater than 50 mm, there may bea disadvantage in that the area on which light is transmitted in thepanel assembly 10 is reduced to reduce the visibility of the innerspace.

However, as in the present invention, when the overlapping length D4 ofthe insulation material 80 and the second panel 13 is set within therange of 20 mm to 50 mm, the visibility may increase, and thermalinsulation performance may also be maintained.

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of a panel assembly according to asecond embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 15 , a panel assembly 10 a according to thisembodiment includes a first panel 211, a second panel 212 disposedbehind the first panel 211, and a third panel 213 disposed in front ofthe first panel 211. The third panel 213 may be disposed at an oppositeside of the second panel 212 with respect to the first panel 211.

The first panel 211 and the second panel 212 are spaced apart from eachother by a plurality of spacers 221, and a vacuum insulation space 216between the first panel 211 and the second panel 212) is defined.

All the characteristics described in the first embodiment such as thethickness, the material, the low-emission coating layer of each of thepanels described in the first embodiment, the gap between the firstpanel 11 and the second panel 13, the degree of the vacuum of the vacuuminsulation space, the size or shape of the spacer, the contact ratio ofthe spacer and the first or second panel, and the structure, thematerial, and the component of the sealing member may be equally orsimilarly applied to the second embodiment.

Thus, only characterized parts in the second embodiment will bedescribed below.

The first panel 211 may include a first surface 211 a that is a frontsurface and a second surface 211 b that is a rear surface. The secondpanel 212 may include a first surface 212 a that is a front surface anda second surface 212 b that is a rear surface. The third panel 213 mayinclude a first surface 213 a that is a front surface and a secondsurface 213 b that is a rear surface.

The first surface 212 a of the second panel 212 may face the secondsurface 211 b of the first panel 211. The first surface 211 a of thefirst panel 211 may face the second surface 213 b of the third panel213.

An exhaust hole 211 c for exhausting air may be defined in the firstpanel 211 to define a vacuum insulation space 216. A getter 17 isdisposed in the exhaust hole 211 c, a getter 17 is installed at aposition adjacent to the exhaust hole 211 c in the first panel 211, or agetter 17 is installed in the second panel 212.

Also, a low-emission coating layer may be disposed on at least one ofthe first panel 211 or the second panel 212. For example, thelow-emission coating layer may be disposed on the first surface 211 a orthe second surface 211 b of the first panel 211, or the low-emissioncoating layer may be disposed on the first surface 212 a of the secondpanel 212.

The exhaust hole 211 c may be blocked by the cover member 18. In thiscase, the cover member 18 may cover the exhaust hole 211 c between thethird panel 213 and the first panel 211. In this case, since the covermember 18 is protected by the third panel 213, it may be prevented frombeing damaged by an external force.

A printed layer 214 may be disposed on the second surface 213 b of thethird panel 213, and the exhaust hole 211 c may be disposed to face theprinted layer 214. That is, the printed layer 214 of the third panel 213and the exhaust hole 211 c may be disposed to overlap each other in afront and rear direction.

The first panel 211 and the second panel 212 may have the same size. Onthe other hand, the third panel 213 may have a size greater than that ofthe first panel 211.

A size relationship between the third panel 213 and the first panel 211may be the same as the size relationship between the first panel 11 andthe second panel 13 described in the first embodiment.

The third panel 213 may also include the first area and the second area,which are described in the first embodiment, by the printed layer 214 ofthe third panel 213.

The vacuum insulation space 216 between the first panel 211 and thesecond panel 212 may be sealed by the first sealing member 222.

The second surface 211 b of the first panel 211 may include an inclinedsurface 211 d inclined in a direction that is away from the second panel212 toward an end side thereof.

The first surface 212 a of the second panel 212 may include an inclinedsurface 212 c that inclines in a direction that is away from the firstpanel 211 toward an end side thereof.

The second surface 211 b of the first panel 211 and the first surface212 a of the second panel 212 except for the inclined surfaces 211 d and212 c may be parallel to each other.

The first sealing member 222 may be disposed not only between the twoparallel surfaces, but also may be disposed between the inclinedsurfaces 211 d and 212 c.

Thus, the first sealing member 222 may include a first portion disposedbetween the two parallel surfaces and a second portion extending fromthe first portion and disposed between the inclined surfaces 211 d and212 c.

A thickness of the second portion is greater than that of the firstportion. When the thickness of the second part is greater than that ofthe first part, contact areas between the first sealing member 222 andthe first panel 211 and between the first sealing member 222 and thesecond panel 212 may increase to increase in contact strength by thefirst sealing member 222, thereby improving sealability.

The third panel 213 may be spaced apart from the first panel 211 by aspacer 224. The spacer 224 may also serve to seal a space between thefirst panel 211 and the third panel 213.

An insulation space 217 may also be defined between the third panel 213and the first panel 211. The insulation space 217 may be a vacuuminsulation space, an insulation space containing air, or an insulationspace into which a gas for insulation (e.g., argon gas) is injected.

If the insulation space 217 between the first panel 211 and the thirdpanel 213 is the vacuum insulation space, an additional exhaust hole maybe defined in the first panel 211, and the first panel 211 and the thirdpanel 213 may be spaced apart from each other by a plurality ofadditional spacers.

A gap between the first panel 211 and the third panel 213 may be lessthan a thickness of the third panel 213 or the first panel 211.

In this case, at least a portion of the additional spacer may overlapthe spacer 221 disposed between the first panel 211 and the second panel212 in a front and rear direction. As a result, it may be minimized thatvisibility is deteriorated by the spacers having a plurality of layers.

The gap between the first panel 211 and the third panel 213 may be equalto or greater than that between the first panel 211 and the second panel212.

The first surface 211 a of the first panel 211 may include an inclinedsurface 211 e that moves away from the third panel toward an endthereof. The spacer 224 may be in contact with the inclined surface 211e. Also, the spacer 224 may also be in contact with a side surface ofthe first panel 211.

Thus, a contact area between the spacer 224 and the first panel 211 anda contact area between the spacer 224 and the third panel 213 mayincrease.

FIG. 16 is a view of a door to which the panel assembly is appliedaccording to the second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 17 isa cutaway cross-sectional view taken along line C-C of FIG. 16 , andFIG. 18 is a cutaway cross-sectional view taken along line D-D of FIG.17 .

Referring to FIGS. 16 to 18 , the door 200 according to this embodimenthave the same structure as the structure of the door 30 according to thefirst embodiment except for a structure of a panel assembly 10 a, andthus, the same structure is denoted by the same reference numerals, andthe description of the first embodiment will be cited.

Thus, the door 200 according to this embodiment may also include a doorframe 40 supporting the panel assembly 10 a and a door liner 60connected to the door frame 40. Also, the door 200 may further include abracket 50.

The door frame 40 may include a first opening 41, and the door liner 60may include a second opening 61. The panel assembly 10 a may cover thefirst opening 41 and the second opening 61.

The door liner 60 may include a bent portion 62 that is bent from theopening 61 toward the door frame 40.

The door frame 40 may be provided as a thin plate and may include a bentportion 42 that is bent inward from the first opening 41. An innerregion of the bent portion 42 substantially becomes the first opening41.

The panel assembly 10 a may be disposed at the first opening 41 to coverthe first opening 41 or may cover the first opening 41 from the outsideof the first opening 41.

When the panel assembly 10 a is disposed inside the first opening 41, aside surface of the panel assembly 10 may be in contact with the bentportion 42.

For example, the side surface of the third panel 213 may be in contactwith the bent portion 42.

The third panel 213 may define a portion of a front appearance of thedoor 200. That is, the panel assembly 10 a may be installed on the door200 so that the third panel 213 is disposed at the foremost side, andthe second panel 212 is disposed at the rearmost side.

A front surface (first surface) of the third panel 213 may define thesame surface as a front surface of the door frame 40, or a line passingthrough the front surface of the third panel 213 may pass through thefront surface of the door frame 40. Alternatively, the front surface ofthe third panel 213 and the front surface of the door frame 40 may bestepped. However, in this case, in order to prevent the third panel 213from being damaged, the front surface of the third panel 213 may bedisposed behind the front surface of the door frame 40.

The bracket 50 may include a first portion 51 disposed to face the thirdpanel 213, a second portion 52 disposed to face the door frame 40, and athird portion 53 connecting the first portion 51 to the second portion52.

The first portion 51 of the bracket 50 may face a rear surface (secondsurface) of the third panel 213, and the second portion 52 of thebracket 50 may face a rear surface of the door frame 40.

For example, the first portion 51 of the bracket 50 may be disposed tocorrespond to the second area (area on which the printed layer isdisposed) of the third panel 213. That is, the first portion 51 of thebracket 50 may be disposed to face the second area of the third panel213.

Thus, even if the panel assembly 10 a is installed on the door 200, thebracket 50 may be prevented from being exposed to the outside.

The first portion 51 of the bracket 50 may be provided with a couplingprotrusion 54, and the bent portion 42 may be provided with a protrusionslot (not shown) into which the coupling protrusion 54 is inserted.

A heater accommodation groove 502 may be defined in the first portion 51of the bracket 50. A heater 58 may be accommodated in the heateraccommodation groove 502.

In the case of this embodiment, since the panel assembly 10 a has avacuum insulation space, a thickness of the panel assembly may bereduced compared to a structure in which a gas is filled between twopanels.

When the panel assembly 10 a according to this embodiment is applied tothe structure of the existing door 30, a gap between the panel assembly10 a and the bent portion 62 of the door liner 60 may occur by a reducedthickness of the panel assembly 10 a.

If, without changing the structure of the existing door liner 60, thepanel assembly 10 a according to this embodiment is used, the door 30may further include an intermediate member 63 disposed in a spacedportion between the door liner 60 and the panel assembly 10 a.

One side of the intermediate member 63 may be coupled to the door liner60, and the other side may be in contact with the panel assembly 10. Forexample, the intermediate member 63 may be in contact with the rearsurface (second surface) of the second panel 212.

The intermediate member 63 may further include a contact portion 64 toincrease in contact area between the intermediate member 63 and thesecond panel 212.

As another example, the door liner 60 may be configured to include thesame configuration as the intermediate member 63 by changing thestructure of the door liner 60. In this case, the door liner 60 mayinclude a contact portion 64 for contacting the second panel 212.

In either case, the door frame 40, the door liner 60, the bracket 50,and the panel assembly 10 a may define an insulation space P in which aninsulation material 80 is filled.

The contact portion 64 of the door liner 60 may be in contact with aposition spaced a predetermined distance from an edge end of the secondpanel 212.

The insulation material 80 may be in contact with the door frame 40, thedoor liner 60, and the bracket 50. Also, the insulation material 80 maybe in contact with a rear surface (second surface) of the second panel212. A portion of the insulation material 80 may be in contact with thecontact portion 64 to press the contact portion 64 toward the secondpanel 212. Thus, the insulation material between the contact portion 64and the second panel 212 may be prevented from leaking.

Since the panel assembly 10 a itself includes the vacuum insulationspace, thermal insulation performance may be maintained by the vacuuminsulation space, but an outer surface of the panel assembly 10 a, inparticular, the sealing member 222 and the spacer 224 may be capable ofthe heat conduction, and thus, there is a need to prevent the thermalinsulation performance by the heat conduction.

In order to prevent deterioration in thermal insulation performance dueto the heat conduction of the panel assembly 10 a, the insulationmaterial 80 may be in contact with the rear surface (second surface) ofthe second panel 212. Also, the insulation material 80 may be in contactwith a side surface of the second panel 212, the first sealing member222, and a portion of the spacer 15.

The insulation material 80 may be disposed to overlap the second panel212 in a front and rear direction (which may be defined as an arrangeddirection of the panels). In order to secure the thermal insulationperformance, the vertical or horizontal length (overlapping length) D4of the portion of the second panel 212 overlapping the insulationmaterial 80 in the front and rear direction may be set within a range of20 mm to 50 mm. The technical meaning of the overlapping length D4 ofthe insulation material 80 and the second panel 212 in the front andrear direction is the same as described in the first embodiment.

FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view of a panel assembly according to athird embodiment of the present invention.

This embodiment is the same as the second embodiment except that thereis a difference in distance between a first panel and a third panel at aposition of a getter. Thus, only characterized parts in this embodimentwill be described below.

Referring to FIG. 19 , a panel assembly 10 b according to thisembodiment includes a first panel 211, a second panel 222 disposedbehind the second panel 222, and a third panel 213 disposed in front ofthe first panel 211.

The first panel 211 and the second panel 212 are spaced apart from eachother by a plurality of spacers 221, and a vacuum insulation space 216between the first panel 211 and the second panel 212) is defined.

In this embodiment, an exhaust hole 212 e may be defined in the secondpanel 212. The exhaust hole 212 e may be covered by the cover member 18.The cover member 212 may cover the exhaust hole 212 e at a side of thesecond surface 212 b of the second panel 212.

An accommodation groove 211 f in which the getter 17 is accommodated maybe defined in the second surface 211 a of the first panel 211. Theaccommodation groove 211 f may be disposed to face the exhaust hole 212e. Alternatively, even if the accommodation groove 211 f is not disposedto face the exhaust hole 212 e, the accommodation groove 211 f may bedisposed at a position adjacent to the exhaust hole 212 e.

A printed layer 214 may be disposed on the second surface 213 b of thethird panel 213, and the exhaust hole 211 c and the getter 17 may bedisposed to face the printed layer 214. Thus, the accommodation groove211 f, the getter 17, and the exhaust hole 212 e may be prevented frombeing exposed to the outside by the printed layer 214 provided on thethird panel 213.

The first panel 211 and the second panel 212 may have the same size. Onthe other hand, the third panel 213 may have a size greater than that ofthe first panel 211.

The third panel 213 may also include the first area and the second area,which are described in the first embodiment, by the printed layer of thethird panel 213.

The vacuum insulation space 216 between the first panel 211 and thesecond panel 212 may be sealed by the first sealing member 222. Thesecond surface 211 of the first panel 211 may include an inclinedsurface 211 d inclined in a direction that is away from the second panel212 toward an end side thereof.

The first surface 212 a of the second panel 212 may include an inclinedsurface 212 c that inclines in a direction that is away from the firstpanel 211 toward an end side thereof.

The second surface 211 of the first panel 211 and the first surface 212a of the second panel 212 except for the inclined surfaces 211 d and 212c may be parallel to each other.

The first sealing member 222 may be disposed not only between the twoparallel surfaces, but also may be disposed between the inclinedsurfaces 211 d and 212 c.

Thus, the first sealing member 222 may include a first portion disposedbetween the two parallel surfaces and a second portion extending fromthe first portion and disposed between the inclined surfaces 211 d and212 c.

A thickness of the second portion is greater than that of the firstportion. When the thickness of the second part is greater than that ofthe first part, contact areas between the first sealing member 222 andthe first panel 211 and between the first sealing member 222 and thesecond panel 212 may increase to increase in contact strength by thefirst sealing member 222, thereby improving sealability.

The third panel 213 may be spaced apart from the first panel 211 by aspacer 224.

An insulation space 217 a may also be defined between the third panel213 and the first panel 211. The insulation space 217 a may be aninsulation space into which a gas for insulation (e.g., argon gas) isinjected.

The first surface 211 a of the first panel 211 may include an inclinedsurface 211 e that moves away from the third panel toward an endthereof. The spacer 224 may be in contact with the inclined surface 211e. Also, the spacer 224 may also be in contact with a side surface ofthe first panel 211. Thus, a contact area between the spacer 224 and thefirst panel 211 and a contact area between the spacer 224 and the thirdpanel 213 may increase.

A gap between the first panel 211 and the third panel 213 may be largerthan a gap between the first panel 211 and the second panel 212.

FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view of a panel assembly according to afourth embodiment of the present invention.

This embodiment is the same as the third embodiment except for aposition of a getter and a position of an exhaust hole. Thus, onlycharacterized parts in this embodiment will be described below.

Referring to FIG. 20 , in case of a panel assembly 10 c according tothis embodiment, an exhaust hole 211 c may be defined in a first panel211, and an accommodation groove 212 f in which a getter 17 isaccommodated may be defined in a second panel 212.

The accommodation groove 212 f may be disposed to face the exhaust hole211 c. Alternatively, even if the accommodation groove 212 f is notdisposed to face the exhaust hole 211 c, the accommodation groove 212 fmay be disposed at a position adjacent to the exhaust hole 211 c.

A printed layer 214 may be disposed on the second surface 213 b of thethird panel 213, and the exhaust hole 211 c and the getter 17 may bedisposed to face the printed layer 214. Thus, the accommodation groove212 f, the getter 17, and the exhaust hole 211 c may be prevented frombeing exposed to the outside by the printed layer 214 provided on thethird panel 213.

FIG. 21 is a view illustrating another example of FIG. 20 .

Contents of the display of FIG. 21 may be equally applied to thestructure of FIG. 19 .

Referring to FIG. 21 , the panel assembly 10 c may further include adisplay 219. The display 219 may be an LCD or an LED.

The display 219 may be disposed behind, for example, the third panel213. The display 219 may be disposed in a space 217 a between the firstpanel 211 and the third panel 213. The display 219 may be installed on arear surface of the third panel 213.

A signal cable 219 a may be connected to the display 219. The signalcable 219 a may pass between the spacer 224 and the printed layer 214and may be drawn out of the panel assembly 10 c. As another example, asignal cable 219 b connected to the display 219 may pass between thespacer 224 and the front surface of the first panel 211.

FIG. 22 is a view of a door to which the panel assembly is applied tothe refrigerator according to the first embodiment of the presentinvention, FIG. 23 is a view of a state in which a door lighting unit isturned on in the refrigerator of FIG. 22 , and FIG. 24 is a blockdiagram of the refrigerator of FIG. 22 .

Referring to FIGS. 22 to 24 , a refrigerator 300 to which the panelassembly 10 according to this embodiment is applied may include acabinet defining a storage space and doors 301 and 302 for opening andclosing the storage space.

FIGS. 22 to 24 illustrate the panel assembly 10 according to the firstembodiment, but it should be noted that the panel assemblies of thesecond to fourth embodiments described above may be applied to therefrigerator 300 in the same manner.

One or more doors 301 and 302 may open and close the storage space.Alternatively, the storage space may be divided into a refrigeratingcompartment and a freezing compartment, one door 301 may open and closethe refrigerating compartment, and the other door 302 may open and closethe freezing compartment.

The panel assembly 10 may be provided on the door 301.

Since a structure of the door 301 is the same as the structure of thedoor 30 described in FIG. 9 , a detailed description thereof will beomitted.

The door 301 may include a door storage space 303 in which foods arestored. The door storage space 303 may be a space defined by a basketcoupled to the door 301, a space defined between a plurality of baskets,or a space defined by a separate accommodation case.

The refrigerator 300 may include a door switch 403 for sensing theopening of the door 301, a storage space lighting unit 401 thatirradiates light to the storage space of the cabinet, and a controller400 that controls the storage space lighting unit 401.

The controller 400 may be turned on the storage space lighting unit 401when the door switch 403 senses the opening of the door. When thestorage space lighting unit 401 is turned on, a user may easily checkthe foods stored in the storage space.

The refrigerator 300 may further include a knock sensing device 410 forsensing a knock input to the panel assembly 10 and a door lighting unit402 for irradiating light so that the door storage space 303 is seenfrom the outside.

When it is determined that the knock sensing device 410 senses a normalknock input, the controller 400 may turn on the door lighting unit 402.That is, the door lighting unit 402 may be turned on in a state in whichthe door 30 is not opened.

For example, when the normal knock input is sensed, it may be a casethat two knock inputs are sensed for a predetermined time.

As illustrated in FIG. 22 , when the door lighting unit 402 is turnedoff, the door storage space 303 is not visible from the outside in frontof the door 301. On the other hand, when the door lighting unit 402 isturned on, as illustrated in FIG. 20 , the door lighting unit 402 mayirradiate light to the door storage space 303, and some lightsequentially pass through the panels of the panel assembly 10.

Since light passes through the panel assembly 10, the user may check theinside of the door storage space 303 from the outside of the door 301.

When it is determined that the knock sensing device 410 senses a normalknock input, the controller 400 may turn on the storage space lightingunit 401.

Alternatively, when the door lighting unit 402 is not provided in thedoor 301, if it is determined that the normal knock input is sensed bythe knock sensing device 410, the storage space lighting unit 401 may beturned on. Even when the storage space lighting unit 401 is turned on,the light irradiated from the storage space lighting unit 401 may passthrough the panel assembly 10 to confirm the inside of the door storagespace 303 from the outside of the door 301.

In the panel assembly 10, light sequentially passes through the secondpanel 13 and the first panel 11. As described above, the first panel 11is divided into a first area 111 and a second area 112. Here, the firstarea 111 is a viewing area through which light is transmitted, and thesecond area 112 is a non-viewing area through which the transmission oflight is restricted.

FIG. 25 is an exploded perspective view of a knock sensing deviceaccording to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 26 is across-sectional view of a microphone module according to an embodimentof the present invention, and FIG. 27 is a view illustrating a state inwhich the microphone module is in contact with a panel assemblyaccording to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 28 is a viewof a state in which the microphone module is in contact with the panelassembly of FIG. 20 .

Referring to FIGS. 25 to 28 , a knock sensing device 410 according tothis embodiment is a device for sensing a knock input of a panelassembly 10 by a user.

The knock sensing device 410 may include a microphone module 421 thatsenses a knock input.

The knock sensing device 41 may further include a holder 423 in whichthe microphone module 421 is accommodated, an elastic member 424pressing the holder 423 and the microphone module 821 toward the panelassembly 10, and a support member 425 supporting the elastic member 424and the holder 423.

The microphone module 421 may include a microphone 4211 that directlysenses sound waves and a microphone accommodation portion 4212 thataccommodates the microphone 4211.

The microphone 4211 directly senses the sound waves and is provided in acircular shape having a predetermined thickness so as to be fixed andmounted inside the microphone accommodation portion 4212.

The microphone 4211 may include a sound wave receiving portion 4213 forreceiving the sound waves, and the sound wave receiving portion 4213 maybe disposed to face an opening 4214 of the microphone accommodationportion 4212. The sound wave receiving portion 4213 may be disposed atone side of the microphone 4211.

A signal line 4216 may be connected to the other side of the microphone4211, and the signal line 4216 may be directly or indirectly connectedto the controller 400.

The microphone accommodation portion 4212 is made of an elastic materialsuch as rubber. For example, the microphone accommodation portion 4212may be in contact with a rear surface 110 b of the first panel 11 in thepanel assembly 10.

In practice, since a printed layer 114 may be present on the rearsurface 110 b of the first panel 11 in the panel assembly 10, themicrophone accommodation portion 4212 may be described as being incontact with the printed layer 114.

Since a second area 112 of the first panel 11 is defined by the printedlayer 114, the microphone accommodation portion 4212 may be described asbeing in contact with a second area 112 of the first panel 11.

The microphone accommodation portion 4212 may have an opening 4214defined in one side adjacent to the microphone 4211 mounted inside themicrophone accommodation portion 4212, and a circular protrusion 4215may be provided around the opening 4214. Thus, the protrusion 4215 maybe in close contact with the first panel 11.

In a state in which the microphone accommodation portion 4212 and thefirst panel 11 are in close contact with each other by the protrusion4215, a sealed predetermined space may be defined between the opening4214 and the sound wave receiving portion 4213.

Thus, a front side of the contact space may be sealed by a medium, thatis, the first panel 11. Thus, vibration transmitted through the insideof the medium may allow air to vibrate in a predetermined space, and asound wave caused by the vibration may be received by the microphone4211.

Due to this sealing, it may be possible to minimize introduction ofexternal noise or vibration into the predetermined space. This maysignificantly reduce errors in knock input determination and amalfunction due to the external noise to improve a recognition rate ofthe knock input.

The holder 423 accommodates the microphone module 421, and a moduleseating portion 4231 opened toward the first panel 11 may be provided.In a state in which the microphone module 421 is seated on the moduleseating portion 4231, at least the protrusion 4215 may protrude furtherforward than a front surface of the holder 423.

The holder 423 may have a holder slot 4232 through which the signal lineconnected to the microphone 4211 enters and exits. The holder slot 4232may be opened at one side of the module mounting portion 4231.

Also, a first elastic member fixing portion 423 may be provided on arear surface of the holder 423 to protrude so that the elastic member424 is fixedly mounted. The first elastic member fixing portion 423 mayextend to pass through one end of the coil-shaped elastic member 424.

A holder coupling portion 4234 having a hook shape and coupled to thesupport member 425 may be provided at each of both sides of the holder423. The holder 423 may be coupled to the support member 425 by theholder coupling portion 4234.

Due to the hook shape of the holder coupling portion 4234, movement ofthe holder 423 in an insertion direction toward the inside of thesupport member 425 may not be restricted by the hook shape of the holdercoupling portion 4234. The support member 425 is provided so that afront surface thereof is opened, and the holder 423 may be insertedthrough the opened front surface.

A second elastic member fixing portion (not shown) protruding so thatthe elastic member 424 is fixedly mounted may be disposed inside theholder 423. The second elastic member fixing portion may be disposed onthe same extension line as the first elastic member fixing portion 423and be accommodated inside the elastic member 424.

The microphone module 421 may be maintained in the state of being inclose contact with the first board 11 by the elastic member 424.Particularly, the microphone module 421 may be remained in the state ofbeing in close contact with the first panel 11 without changing aposition thereof even due to an impact generated when the door 301 isopened or closed or due to an inertia during rotation of the door 301.

A support member slot 4252 may be defined in one side of the supportmember 425. The support member slot 4252 may be defined in the sameextension line as the holder slot 4232. Thus, a signal line passingthrough the holder slot 4242 may pass through the support member slot4252.

A support member fixing portion 4254 may be disposed on the other sideof the support member 425. The support member fixing portion 4254 may beprovided to extend outward and be fixed to the door frame 40 or theconnection members 70 and 72 or may be fixed to a separate case coupledto the door frame 40 or the connection members 70 and 72.

Referring to FIG. 28 , when the panel assembly 10 c additionallyincludes a third panel 213, the microphone module 217 may be disposed onan area corresponding to the printed layer 214 of the third panel 213.For example, the microphone module 217 may be in contact with theprinted layer 214 of the third panel 213.

FIG. 29 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which the doorlighting unit is installed on a door according to an embodiment of thepresent invention.

Referring to FIG. 29 , the door lighting unit 402 may be installed onthe door liner 60.

The door lighting unit 402 may include a case 441 and a cover 443covering the case 411.

The cover 443 may extend lengthily in a horizontal direction along thedoor liner 60. The case 441 defines a space for accommodating a lightemitting unit PCB 422 in which a plurality of light emitting units 442 aare installed.

In the case 441, a surface facing the light emitting unit PCB 442 may beround, and light irradiated from the light emitting unit 442 a may bereflected through a rounded surface 441 a having a predeterminedcurvature to travel toward the cover 443.

A film for improving reflectance of light may be attached, or a coatinglayer may be disposed on the rounded surface 441 a.

The cover 443 may be provided so that the light reflected from therounded surface 441 a is transmitted. The cover 443 may be transparentor translucent so that light reflected and spread from the round surface441 a is transmitted. Therefore, the light passing through the cover 433illuminates the door storage space in an indirect lighting manner andhas the same effect as surface light emission.

The cover 443 may be attached with the film or coated to diffuse thelight more effectively.

A portion of the light passing through the cover 443 may be irradiatedto an auxiliary storage space 303, and the other portion may beirradiated toward the second panel 13. The light irradiated toward thesecond panel 13 may pass through the first panel 11 after passingthrough the second panel 13.

When the first panel 11 defines an outer appearance of the refrigerator,the knock sensing device 410 may be in contact with the first panel 11.As another embodiment, when the third panel 213 defines an outerappearance of the refrigerator, the knock sensing device 410 may be incontact with the third panel 213.

The door lighting unit 402 may be disposed to be biased to either sideof the door 301, or a plurality of door lighting units 402 may bedisposed to be symmetrical to each other in the door 301.

In any case, some of the spacers 165 may be disposed closer to the doorlighting unit 402 than other spacers 166 based on the plurality ofspacers 16.

As illustrated in FIG. 29 , an amount of light or an intensity of lightreaching to the spacer 165 disposed close to the door lighting unit 402may be greater than an amount of light or an intensity of light reachingthe spacer 166 disposed far from the door lighting unit 402.

In views of visibility of the inner space of the home appliance, sinceit is preferable to minimize that the spacers 165 and 166 are exposed tothe outside, a diameter (or size) D5 of one spacers 165 disposed closeto the door lighting unit 402) may be less than a diameter (or size) D6of the other spacer 166 disposed away from the door lighting unit 402.

FIG. 30 is a view illustrating another example in which the panelassembly is applied to the refrigerator according to the presentinvention. FIG. 31 is a cutaway cross-sectional view taken along lineE-E of FIG. 30 , FIG. 32 is a sectional view taken along line F-F ofFIG. 30 , and FIG. 33 is an enlarged view of a portion B of FIG. 32 .

FIG. 32 illustrates a positional relationship between a basket 505 and asecond door 520 provided in a first door 512.

Referring to FIGS. 30 to 33 , a refrigerator 500 according to thisembodiment may include a cabinet 501 including a storage space and aplurality of doors 510 and 540 for opening and closing the storagespace.

The storage space may include a refrigerating compartment and a freezingcompartment, and the plurality of doors 510 and 540 may include arefrigerating compartment door 510 and a freezing compartment door 540.

For example, in this embodiment, the refrigerating compartment may bedisposed above the freezing compartment.

The refrigerating compartment may be opened and closed by one or aplurality of refrigerating compartment doors 510. In FIG. 30 , as anexample, two refrigerator compartment doors 510 are opened and closed asthe refrigerator compartment door.

The freezing compartment may be opened and closed by one or morefreezing compartment doors 540.

The refrigerating compartment door 510 may include a first door 512 thatopens and closes the refrigerating compartment and a second door 520that is rotatable with respect to the first door 512.

The first door 512 may include an opening 504 and a door storage space506. The door storage space 506 may be an inner space of the basket 505,a space disposed between a plurality of baskets 505, or a space definedby a separate case.

The second door 520 may open and close the opening 504. The second door520 may include a panel assembly 10. The panel assembly 10 may cover atleast a portion of the opening 504.

FIGS. 30 to 32 illustrate that the second door 520 includes the panelassembly 10 according to the first embodiment, but it should be notedthat the panel assemblies of the second to fourth embodiments describedabove may be applied to the second door 520 in the same manner.

The second door 520 may include a door frame 40 a supporting the panelassembly 10 a and a door liner 60 a connected to the door frame 40 a.Also, the second door 520 may further include a bracket 50 a.

Fundamental functions of the door frame 40 a, the door liner 60 a, andthe bracket 50 a may be the same as or similar to those mentioned in thefirst embodiment.

The door frame 40 a may include a first opening 41 a, and the door liner60 a may include a second opening 61 a. The panel assembly 10 may coverthe first opening 41 a and the second opening 61 a.

The door liner 60 a may include a bent portion 62 a that is bent fromthe second opening 61 a toward the door frame 40 a. Alternatively, thedoor liner 60 a may include a bent portion 62 a extending toward thefirst opening 41 a, and the bent portion 62 a may define the secondopening 61 a.

The door frame 40 a may be provided as a thin plate and may include abent portion 42 a that is bent inward from the second opening 41 a. Aninner region of the bent portion 42 a substantially becomes the secondopening 41 a.

The panel assembly 10 may be disposed at the second opening 41 a tocover the second opening 41 a or may cover the second opening 41 a fromthe outside of the second opening 41 a.

A side surface of the panel assembly 10 may be in contact with the bentportion 42 a. For example, the side surface of the first panel 11 may bein contact with the bent portion 42 a.

The first panel 11 may define a portion of the front appearance of thesecond door 520. A front surface (first surface) of the first panel 11may define the same surface as a front surface of the door frame 40 a,or a line passing through the front surface of the first panel 11 maypass through the front surface of the door frame 40 a. Alternatively,the front surface of the first panel 11 and the front surface of thedoor frame 40 a may be stepped. However, in this case, in order toprevent the first panel 11 from being damaged, the front surface of thefirst panel 11 may be disposed behind the front surface of the doorframe 40 a.

The bracket 50 a may include a first portion 51 a disposed to face thefirst panel 11, a second portion 52 a disposed to face the door frame 40a, and a third portion 53 a connecting the first portion 51 a to thesecond portion 52 a.

The first portion 51 a of the bracket 50 a may face a rear surface(second surface) of the first panel 11, and the second portion 52 a ofthe bracket 50 a may face a rear surface of the door frame 40 a.

For example, the first portion 51 a of the bracket 50 a may be disposedto correspond to the second area of the first panel 11. That is, thefirst portion 51 a of the bracket 50 a may be disposed to face thesecond area of the first panel 11.

Thus, even if the panel assembly 10 is installed on the second door 520,the bracket 50 a may be prevented from being exposed to the outside.

The first portion 51 a of the bracket 50 a may be provided with acoupling protrusion 54 a, and the bent portion 42 a may be provided witha protrusion slot (not shown) into which the coupling protrusion 54 a isinserted.

A heater accommodation groove 502 a may be defined in the first portion51 a of the bracket 50 a. A heater 58 may be accommodated in the heateraccommodation groove 502 a.

In the case of this embodiment, since the panel assembly 10 has a vacuuminsulation space, a thickness of the panel assembly may be reducedcompared to a structure in which a gas is filled between two panels.

When the panel assembly 10 according to this embodiment is applied tothe structure of the existing second door 520, a gap between the panelassembly 10 and the bent portion 62 a of the door liner 60 a may occurby a reduced thickness of the panel assembly 10.

If, without changing the structure of the existing door liner 60 a, thepanel assembly 10 according to this embodiment is used, the second door520 may further include an intermediate member 63 a disposed in a spacedportion between the door liner 60 a and the panel assembly 10.

One side of the intermediate member 63 a may be coupled to the doorliner 60 a, and the other side may be in contact with the panel assembly10. For example, the intermediate member 63 a may be in contact with therear surface (second surface) of the second panel 13.

The intermediate member 63 a may further include a contact portion 64 ato increase in contact area between the intermediate member 63 a and thesecond panel 13.

As another example, the door liner 60 a may be configured to include thesame configuration as the intermediate member 63 a by changing thestructure of the door liner 60 a. In this case, the door liner 60 a mayinclude a contact portion 64 a for contacting the second panel 13.

In either case, the door frame 40, the door liner 60, the bracket 50,and the panel assembly 10 may define an insulation space in which aninsulation material 80 is filled.

The contact portion 64 a of the door liner 60 a may be in contact with aposition spaced a predetermined distance from an edge end of the secondpanel 13.

The insulating material 80 may be in contact with the door frame 40 a,the door liner 60 a, and the bracket 50 a. Also, the insulation material80 may be in contact with a rear surface (second surface) of the secondpanel 13. A portion of the insulating material 80 may be in contact withthe contact portion 64 a to press the contact portion 64 a toward thesecond panel 13. Thus, the insulation material may be prevented fromleaking between the contact portion 64 a and the second panel 13.

Since the panel assembly 10 a itself includes the vacuum insulationspace, thermal insulation performance may be maintained by the vacuuminsulation space, but an outer surface of the panel assembly 10 a, inparticular, the sealing member 224 may be capable of the heatconduction, and thus, there is a need to prevent the thermal insulationperformance by the heat conduction.

In order to prevent deterioration in thermal insulation performance dueto the heat conduction of the panel assembly 10, the insulation material80 may be in contact with the rear surface (second surface) of thesecond panel 13. Also, the insulation material 80 may be in contact witha side surface of the second panel 13 and a portion of the sealingmember 15.

The insulation material 80 may be disposed to overlap the second panel13 in a front and rear direction (which may be defined as an arrangeddirection of the panels). In order to secure the thermal insulationperformance, an overlapping length D4 of the insulation material 80 andthe second panel 13 in a front and rear direction may be set within arange of 20 mm to 50 mm. The technical meaning of the overlapping lengthD4 of the insulation material 80 and the second panel 13 in the frontand rear direction is the same as described in the first embodiment.

Also, it is noted that the configuration and functions for transmittinglight through the panel assembly by turning on the lighting unit bysensing the knock input described above may be applied to thisrefrigerator in the same manner.

As described above, if a thickness of the panel assembly 10 decreases, asize of the basket 505 may increase. When the size of the basket 505increases, a volume of the door storage space defined by the basket 505may increase.

For example, a portion of the basket 505 may pass through the opening504 to protrude forward from a front surface of the first door 512. Asdescribed above, even if the front surface of the basket 505 protrudesfrom the first door 512, the basket 505 may not interfere with the panelassembly 10.

Referring to FIG. 32 , a portion of the basket 505 may be disposed on anarea defined by the door liner 60 a. That is, a front surface 505 a ofthe basket 505 may be disposed adjacent to a rear surface of the panelassembly 10 (for example, the second panel 13).

Thus, the front surface 505 a of the basket 505 may be disposed closerto the second panel 13 than one point of the door liner 60 a.

The front surface 505 a of the basket 505 may be spaced apart from thesecond panel 13 to prevent the front surface 505 a of the basket 505 andthe second panel 13 from being in contact with each other. A spaceddistance D7 between the front surface 505 a of the basket 505 and thesecond panel 13 may be greater than a thickness of the second panel 13.

The spaced space between the front surface 505 a of the basket 505 andthe second panel 13 may provide a path for light irradiated from thedoor lighting unit 402.

The front surface 505 a of the basket 505 may be disposed in a spacedefined by an insulation material 80 provided in the insulation space P.

To prevent the basket 505 and the door liner 60 a from interfering witheach other during the rotation of the second door 520, both sidesurfaces 505 b of the basket 505 may be spaced apart from theintermediate member 63 a of the door liner 60 a. The intermediate member63 a may define a space in which the basket 505 is disposed. When theintermediate member 63 a is integrated with the door liner 60 a, theintermediate member 63 a is referred to as an inner member defining aspace in the door liner 60 a in which the basket 505 is disposed (or itmay also be referred to as the bent portion described above).

A horizontal distance from a rotation center of the second door 520 toone surface of both side surfaces 505 b of the basket 505 may be greaterthan a maximum horizontal distance from the rotation center of thesecond door to the intermediate member (or the inner member) of the doorliner 60 a to prevent the basket 505 and the door liner 60 a frominterfering with each other during the rotation of the second door 520.

A spaced distance D8 between each of both side surfaces 505 b of thebasket 505 and the intermediate member 63 a is greater than a spaceddistance D7 between the front surface 505 a of the basket 505 and thesecond panel 13. The spaced distance D8 between each of both sidesurfaces 505 b of the basket 505 and the intermediate member 63 a may bedetermined based on a rotation trajectory of the second door 520 and thespaced distance D7 between the front surface 505 a of the basket 505 andthe second panel 13.

The spaced space between both side surfaces 505 b of the basket 505 andthe intermediate member 63 a may provide a path for light irradiatedfrom the door lighting unit 402.

In FIGS. 30 to 32 , the relationship between the panel assembly 10 andthe door lighting unit 402 in the second door 520 has been described,but the related information may be applied equally even when therefrigerator includes one door. For example, the door lighting unit 402may be disposed in the frame assembly 90 of the refrigeratingcompartment door or the freezing compartment door, and a size of each ofthe spacers may be determined according to the arrangement relationshipbetween the door lighting unit 420 and the spacers.

A storage space lighting unit 401 may be provided in the cabinet 501.The position of the storage space lighting unit 401 is not limited. Forexample, the storage space lighting unit 401 may be disposed at a frontend (a position adjacent to the door) of the cabinet 501 or on a rearwall defining the storage space.

In this case, even when the door lighting unit 402 does not exist, ifthe storage space lighting unit 401 is turned on, the inside of thestorage space may be visualized by the light of the storage spacelighting unit 401.

The storage space lighting unit 402 may be disposed on an upper wall ofthe cabinet 501, a lower wall, or at least one of both sidewalls.

When the storage space lighting unit 402 is disposed on the walldefining the storage space, an amount of light or intensity of lightreaching the other spacers disposed at the center of the panel assembly10 may be greater than an amount or intensity of light reaching thespacer disposed at the outer side of the panel assembly 10.

In this case, among the plurality of spacers, a diameter (or size) ofthe spacer disposed at the center of the panel assembly 10 may be lessthan a diameter (or size) of the spacer disposed on the outer side ofthe panel assembly.

FIG. 34 is a view illustrating another example in which the panelassembly is applied to the refrigerator according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 34 illustrates a side-by-side type refrigerator as an example.

Referring to FIG. 34 , in the refrigerator 600 of this embodiment, afreezing compartment 603 and a refrigerating compartment 602 may bedisposed at left and right sides. The freezing compartment 603 may beopened and closed by a freezing compartment door 620, and therefrigerating compartment 602 may be opened and closed by arefrigerating compartment door 610.

The refrigerating compartment door 610 may include the panel assembly 10described above, and a structure of the refrigerating compartment door610 may be the same as or similar to the structure of the door 30described in FIGS. 9 to 11 .

FIG. 34 illustrates that the refrigerating compartment door 610 includesthe panel assembly 10 according to the first embodiment, but it shouldbe noted that the panel assemblies of the second to fourth embodimentsdescribed above may be applied to the refrigerating compartment door 610in the same manner.

Also, it is noted that the configuration and functions for transmittinglight through the panel assembly by turning on the lighting unit bysensing the knock input described above may be applied to thisrefrigerator in the same manner.

FIG. 35 is a view illustrating a state in which the panel assembly isapplied to a cloth processor that is an example of a home appliance.

Referring to FIG. 35 , in the case of a cloth processor, an inner space702 for processing such as sterilization and storage of clothes isprovided, and the inner space 702 may be opened and closed by a door710. The door 710 may include the panel assembly 10 described above.

A structure of the door 710 according to this embodiment may be the sameas or similar to the structure of the door described above. For example,the door of the home appliance may include a frame including an opening,and a panel assembly connected to the frame to cover the opening. Aninsulation material may be or may not be provided inside the frame.

FIG. 35 illustrates that the door 710 includes the panel assembly 10according to the first embodiment, but it should be noted that the panelassemblies of the second to fourth embodiments described above may beapplied to the door 710 in the same manner.

Also, it is noted that the configuration and functions for transmittinglight through the panel assembly by turning on the lighting unit bysensing the knock input described above may be applied to this clothprocessor in the same manner.

Also, although not presented in the this specification, if the homeappliance includes the inner space and a door including the inner spaceand a door that opens and closes the inner space, the panel assembly ofthe present invention may be provided on the door, the configuration andfunctions for transmitting light through the panel assembly by turningon the lighting unit due to the sensing of a knock input may be appliedin the same manner.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A panel assembly comprising: a first panelmade of a glass material; a second panel spaced apart from the firstpanel and made of a glass material; a plurality of spacers disposedbetween the first panel and the second panel and configured to maintaina gap between the first panel and the second panel, the plurality ofspacers being spaced apart from one another in a first direction and ina second direction crossing the first direction; a sealing memberdisposed between the first panel and the second panel and configured toseal a space between the first panel and the second panel; an exhausthole defined in at least one of the first panel or the second panel andconfigured to exhaust air from the space between the first panel and thesecond panel to define a vacuum insulation space; and a cover memberconfigured to cover the exhaust hole, wherein the first panel comprises:a first area configured to transmit light, and a second area that isdisposed outside the first area, the second area including a printedlayer that is configured to restrict light transmission and faces theexhaust hole, the sealing member, and at least one of the plurality ofspacers.
 2. The panel assembly according to claim 1, wherein the firstpanel has a size greater than that of the second panel.
 3. The panelassembly according to claim 1, wherein the exhaust hole is provided inthe second panel.
 4. The panel assembly according to claim 1, furthercomprising a third panel disposed at a side opposite to the second panelwith respect to the first panel, wherein the third panel has a sizegreater than that of each of the first panel and the second panel. 5.The panel assembly according to claim 4, wherein a gap between the thirdpanel and the first panel is less than a thickness of the first panel ora thickness of the third panel.
 6. The panel assembly according to claim1, wherein a contact area between the plurality of spacers and the firstpanel or a contact area between the plurality of spacers and the secondpanel corresponds to 0.01% to 0.05% of an area of the first panel or thesecond panel.
 7. The panel assembly according to claim 1, wherein thesealing member comprises a first portion disposed between the firstpanel and the second panel and a second portion disposed outside thefirst portion and having a thickness greater than that of the firstportion.
 8. The panel assembly according to claim 7, wherein the sealingmember further comprises a third portion disposed outside the secondportion to contact a side surface of the second panel.
 9. The panelassembly according to claim 1, wherein the printed layer extends along acircumference of the first panel.
 10. A refrigerator comprising: acabinet that defines a storage space; and a door configured to open andclose at least a portion of the storage space, the door comprising aframe that defines an opening, a panel assembly that covers the opening,and a door lighting unit that is configured to emit light, wherein thepanel assembly comprises: a first panel made of a glass material; asecond panel spaced apart from the first panel and made of a glassmaterial; a plurality of spacers disposed between the first panel andthe second panel and configured to maintain a gap between the firstpanel and the second panel, the plurality of spacers being spaced apartfrom one another in a first direction and in a second direction crossingthe first direction; a sealing member disposed between the first paneland the second panel and configured to seal a space between the firstpanel and the second panel; an exhaust hole defined in at least one ofthe first panel or the second panel and configured to exhaust air fromthe space between the first panel and the second panel to define avacuum insulation space; and a cover member configured to cover theexhaust hole, wherein an insulation material is provided in the frameand in contact with the second panel, wherein the plurality of spacersinclude a first spacer and a second spacer, the first spacer beingdisposed closer to the door lighting unit than the second spacer, andwherein a diameter of the first spacer is less than a diameter of thesecond spacer.
 11. The refrigerator according to claim 10, wherein thefirst panel comprises a first area, through which light is transmitted,and a second area disposed outside the first area to restrict lighttransmission, and wherein the exhaust hole, the sealing member, at leastone of the plurality of spacers face the second area.
 12. Therefrigerator according to claim 11, further comprising a knock sensingdevice configured to contact the first panel and sense a knock inputapplied to the first panel.
 13. The refrigerator according to claim 10,wherein the panel assembly further comprises a third panel disposed at aside opposite to the second panel with respect to the first panel,wherein the third panel has a size greater than that of each of thefirst panel and the second panel.
 14. The refrigerator according toclaim 13, further comprising a knock sensing device configured tocontact the third panel and sense a knock input applied to the thirdpanel.
 15. The refrigerator according to claim 10, wherein a contactarea between the plurality of spacers and the first panel or a contactarea between the plurality of spacers and the second panel correspondsto 0.01% to 0.05% of an area of the first panel or the second panel. 16.The refrigerator according to claim 10, wherein the sealing membercomprises a first portion disposed between the first panel and thesecond panel and a second portion disposed outside the first portion andhaving a thickness greater than that of the first portion.
 17. Therefrigerator according to claim 16, wherein the sealing member furthercomprises a third portion disposed outside the second portion to contacta side surface of the second panel.
 18. A home appliance comprising: acabinet that defines an inner space; and a door configured to open andclose the inner space, the door comprising a frame that defines anopening, and a panel assembly that covers the opening, wherein the panelassembly comprises: a first panel made of a glass material; a secondpanel spaced apart from the first panel and made of a glass material; aplurality of spacers disposed between the first panel and the secondpanel and configured to maintain a gap between the first panel and thesecond panel, the plurality of spacers being spaced apart from oneanother in a first direction and in a second direction crossing thefirst direction; a sealing member disposed between the first panel andthe second panel and configured to seal a space between the first paneland the second panel; an exhaust hole defined in at least one of thefirst panel or the second panel and configured to exhaust air from thespace between the first panel and the second panel to define a vacuuminsulation space; and a cover member configured to cover the exhausthole, wherein an insulation material is provided in the frame to contactthe second panel, wherein the frame comprises: a door frame configuredto support the first panel, and a door liner connected to the firstpanel, wherein the door frame, the door liner, and the panel assemblydefine an insulation space that accommodates the insulation material,wherein a portion of the insulation material overlaps with the secondpanel in a front-rear direction, and wherein an overlapping lengthbetween the portion of the insulation material and the second panel in avertical direction or in a horizontal direction is greater than athickness of the panel assembly.
 19. The home appliance according toclaim 18, wherein the plurality of spacers are disposed to be spaced apredetermined pitch from each other, and a contact area between theplurality of spacers and the first panel or a contact area between theplurality of spacers and the second panel corresponds to 0.01% to 0.05%of an area of the first panel or the second panel.
 20. The homeappliance according to claim 18, wherein the overlapping length betweenthe portion of the insulation material and the second panel in thevertical direction is greater than the thickness of the panel assembly.